Almost 2-in-3 patients reported that the individual pharmacist plays a key role in which pharmacy they choose, but less than one-third of patients tap into that accessible health resource on a regular basis, according to an exclusive survey conducted by AccentHealth and DSN.

All drugs provided to HIV and AIDS patients under the District of Columbia's AIDS Drug Assistance Program will go through a new pharmacy network that includes Walgreens, the D.C. Department of Health said.

The days of Walgreens quarterly conference calls focusing primarily on lost prescriptions from the Express Scripts pharmacy network soon may be over with the retail pharmacy's announcement early Tuesday morning that Walgreens and the U.K. pharmacy operation Alliance Boots would merge.

This month, DSN C2B Mobile Insights presents the Drug Store Shopping Report Card. We asked our C2Bers to rate their most recent trip to the drug store — or wherever it is they go primarily to shop for pharmacy and health and beauty items. We received more than 1,500 responses from all over the country.

As the U.S. Senate and House reconcile their versions of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores on Wednesday urged U.S. House and Senate leaders to expand provisions in the final bill to help ensure that Americans continue to have access to safe and effective prescription medications, while also curbing prescription drug abuse.

Given all the attention around the hotly contested Express Scripts-Medco merger, we thought we’d ask our C2B consumer reporters, if all things were equal and every pharmacy accepted their insurance, what would be the most important factors in choosing a pharmacy? Ninety-four percent said location/convenience, followed by customer service (50%). That's just a taste of what they told us.

It's no secret that something has been afoot for the last few years: Retail pharmacies have gradually metamorphosed from places to pick up pills to destinations for health care — places to get everything from vaccines to care from nurses and even from physicians.

With as much as two-thirds of retail pharmacy operators' business tied up in the potential Express Scripts-Medco merger, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, the National Community Pharmacists Association and nine retail pharmacy companies on Thursday filed a lawsuit challenging the merger.

The Consumer Healthcare Products Association on Friday morning honored longtime industry veteran Pat Lonergan, co-founder of Numark Labs, with its Ivan D. Combe Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions in the advancement of the business of over-the-counter medicines.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores on Thursday testified before the House of Representatives' Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade to emphasize retail pharmacy’s commitment to preserving patient safety and high-quality care.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores on Tuesday expressed support for H.R. 4095, “The Online Pharmacy Safety Act,” which the organization said will help consumers protect themselves against the growing threat of illegitimate online drug sellers.

British retail pharmacy chain Lloyds Pharmacy and U.S.-based Proteus Biochemical are collaborating to launch a digital health product that combines sensor-enabled tablets, a sensor patch and a mobile health application to help people with complex medication regimens and health issues.

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SPECIAL REPORTS

Are we in the midst of a beauty revolution? Perhaps. It is no secret that the ever-changing beauty category is all about trends, but one could argue that we are embarking on an especially interesting time in beauty as technology is changing the way consumers shop and new innovations strive to break through the noise.

In this beauty report, Drug Store News takes a deeper dive into some of the leading trends that are reshaping beauty.more ...

IN THIS ISSUE

In this issue, DSN examines PricewaterhouseCoopers' "Top Health Industry Issues for 2015;" takes you on a tour of Murad, shares beauty trends and insights and delves into location-based technology and how it is revolutionizing health, retail.Click here to view the issue.